The funeral industry is driven primarily by two things: laws regulating funeral services and consumer demand. There’s no working around the first point, but funeral homes are in full control of how they adapt to what consumers want.
The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) provides funeral homes with in depth insights into what people want with their annual Consumer Awareness and Preferences Survey. Here are three big takeaways from the latest survey that consumers and funeral homes need to know about.
Expect to See More Crematoriums
It appears that the projections for the cremation rate in the years past were low. The latest statistics show that the cremation rate is growing at a faster pace than anticipated. The NFDA Consumer Survey supports that people are more interested in cremations than burials.
The early projection for 2024 is that the cremation rate will be 61.9%. That’s a 1.3% increase from the year before, while the burial rate dropped 1.3%. The new data suggests that by 2045 the cremation rate will be 82.1%. The burial rate is expected to be just 13.3% with the rest of the funerals being newer alternatives like water cremation and natural organic reduction.
Expect to See More Green Funeral Services
Like many other industries, the funeral industry is going green, because that’s what is in demand. And the demand for green funeral services is growing significantly.
When consumers were surveyed in 2021, 55.7% of people said they were interested in green funeral options. Just three years later in 2024 68% of people now want to explore the option of a green funeral.
As more people opt for eco-friendly funeral services we expect to see a lot more funeral homes offering them.
Expect to See More People Planning Their Own Funerals
Many executors and next of kin family members will have a much easier time making funeral arrangements now that more people are doing it themselves before they die.
One interesting data point from the NFDA consumer survey is how many people are visiting funeral home websites looking for information. In 2016, 46% of people surveyed said they had visited a funeral home website at some point. Last year over 70% of consumers had already visited a funeral home website. On top of that nearly half of respondents had also visited the Facebook pages of funeral homes to read reviews and learn about the business.
An even more clear indicator that pre-planning a funeral is on the rise is the number of people who state that’s what they are doing. But consumers aren’t necessarily contacting funeral homes directly.
The research from the NFDA found that twice as many people attended funeral pre-planning events last year compared to the year before. The events were primarily hosted by credible organizations like a church or hospital. Funeral homes that partner with a third party organization could provide expert information to consumers through events rather than waiting to be contacted.
At Direct Cremate we can help you plan a direct cremation for yourself or a loved one that is efficient and affordable. Give us a call or text at your convenience to receive personal assistance.
